​Vintage Watch Blog.

Thank you for reading my vintage watch blog. I am always looking for great blog ideas or questions about watches or men's style. If your question or situation is unique, I will choose it along with my answer to post on my blog. Thank you.

Vintage watches have really taken hold in recent years. From collectors to famous designers to celebrities, they are all wearing and looking for their next vintage watch find. Needless to say, the prices for watches with a cult status have skyrocketed. A “cult status” simply means that these watches are in high demand and extremely sought after. An example of this is the Rolex Paul Newman Daytona which singer Adam Levine has been photographed many times wearing his. When these celebrities go viral with their latest vintage find there is a spike in the price and demand of these pieces. There is another more sinister phenomenon as a result of a watch becoming cult status – lots of fakes flood the market. That said, here are some steps to take if you are looking to spend money on a vintage timepiece with cult status. 1. Find yourself a reliable and knowledgeable watchmaker. This step is critical and often overlooked. You’ll want a watchmaker that you can bring your watches to for inspection to determine condition and authenticity. Finding this person can take some time (often longer than a return policy) – so do it first. You’ll also want this relationship when your watch needs service. 2. Talk to your watch dealer on the phone. Look, I know everything can be done over email – but a lot can be said about the value of a live conversation. Ask your watch dealer for references, history of the piece you want to buy and as many questions as you want. If you want documentation of the answers from the dealer ask them to send it to you in an email. If you start to get the feeling he/she isn’t too willing to answer your questions or doesn’t respond well in any way – move on. These conversations can shed light on the dealer (good or bad) that otherwise goes unnoticed 3. Know the return policy and terms in case you are not happy with your purchase. Return policies vary widely and in many cases, dealers have an “all sales final” policy. If you are an inexperienced buyer, be sure to have a return policy in place that allows time for your watchmaker to inspect your purchase. 4. Lastly, do some research about the watch you want to buy and know as much about it and how it should appear and operate.

Do you need help with your watch etiquette? This article is inspired by the all too many times I am horrified by seeing a well-dressed executive or a man wearing formal-wear that does not understand the idea of an appropriate watch for his attire. Gentleman, unless you are James Bond and planning a scuba dive in pursuit of a nuclear submarine shortly after your dinner party, a dive watch should not be worn with a suit or tuxedo. If you insist on wearing dive watches, save them for casual Fridays. Here are some simple guidelines for matching your watch with your suit, fine casual-wear or formal attire.

Suit or tuxedo: First, your watch should be a dress watch made of gold, platinum or high-polish stainless steel. There are no other acceptable materials for a dress watch. The dial should be any shade of white or black. Colors are usually not appropriate except for blue, but avoid bright blue. Simple, clean dials that tell the time only are always the safe bet; however, if you can afford complications from a respectable watch manufacturer, then by all means, please do so. Your watch should be small enough and thin enough to easily slide underneath your shirt cuffs, if it does not – take it off, this is the most common and tragic mistake. Avoid rotating bezels or watches with functions that are used for navigation. Leather or more exotic straps are the most appropriate bracelet type to secure your watch on your wrist. Do not wear a rubber strap – these were conceived for athletes and scuba divers while wearing during sport. If you prefer a metal bracelet, it should be okay as long as you’re not bending any other guidelines. Lastly, be your authentic self and find a watch that speaks to you and is appropriate for dress up. By all means, try your best to find a fine mechanical watch from a respected manufacture; your great-grandchildren will be happy you did.

Question:I've got this guy who has only one respectable watch and its the one my cool brother made him. However, it's a casual one and my brother told me not to let him wear it to work. He did buy one from Turkey but should I let him out of the house with it? What do I do?

Dear Kansas Girl,I'm sure your brother is "cool" considering he made a watch and gave it to your guy; however, unless your brother is Jochen Benzinger or Robert Greubel, I would heed his advice. Since I'm not aware of any respectable watch made in Turkey, the answer to your question is NO. Furthermore, you may want to consider disallowing him to wear a Turkish watch inside the house or anywhere for that matter. It sounds like your guy needs some direction with his watch etiquette; and you've come to the right place. It's time to purchase your guy a respectable watch. If your budget is meager, I would recommend a vintage watch made by a respectable manufacturer for the period, many of which you can find on this site. If the sky's the limit, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe make many fine modern watches that will not get your guy kicked out of the board room next time he asks for a promotion.

Disclaimer: Any and all trademarks mentioned here are for descriptive purposes only and are the property of their respective owners. Adam Vintage Watch Co. and its owners and affiliates are not authorized agents for Rolex Watch Company and are not affiliated with them in any way.